A bigger crabbing boat!

Eugene was so excited he almost jumped to his feet when he heard that.

Bigger meant a higher price tag.

Alvin just rolled his eyes, rendered utterly speechless by Feng Shan’s question.

’What’s the use of a big crabbing boat? It’s the haul that matters. If a trip is a bust, a bigger boat just means higher expenses.’

"Sir, I have another vessel here that you might be interested in." Eugene pulled another brochure from his briefcase. "I didn’t show you this one at first because I assumed you were planning to buy a smaller crabbing boat."

Feng Shan took the brochure and flipped it open, his eyes immediately drawn to the picture of the vessel.

"This vessel, the CA5712LS, is a modern crabbing vessel designed by Damen Engineering Company of St. Petersburg, Russia, and built by the Nakhodka Shipyard."

"Damen Engineering Company ran into some financial trouble and signed the vessel over to our company as collateral. It’s currently docked at the shipyard in Anchorage."

"This is one of the most advanced multi-purpose fishing vessels on the market, built to withstand the harshest conditions."

"It has a total tonnage of 1,500 tons, a length of 57.7 meters, and a beam of 12.6 meters. Its endurance is 40 days with a top speed of 12.3 knots. The main engine has a power of 1,600 kW, with a 400 kW bow thruster. It has a crew capacity of 32 and a freezer volume of 500 cubic meters."

"Furthermore, the vessel was refitted at our company’s shipyard and now boasts state-of-the-art processing equipment and systems."

"This includes automated offloading equipment. To help the crew unload high-value species like Emperor Crab, snow crab, and horsehair crab, we designed and installed automated conveyor belts and elevators to improve efficiency."

"There are two types of storage holds. The first is a 500-cubic-meter freezer hold, where crabs can be brought to the processing deck to be flash-frozen and stored. The second is for live crab, consisting of nine RSW tanks that can hold 120 tons of live crab. In total, the vessel can hold 650 tons of crab."

"Caught crabs can typically survive for up to ten days, which hurts a vessel’s efficiency. To reduce the need for frequent returns to port, we designed a simulated deep-sea environment for the live storage system. It recreates the optimal survival conditions for Emperor Crab, snow crab, and horsehair crab. The system features a massive water supply, automatic temperature control, and maintains standard oxygen and ammonia levels in the tanks, guaranteeing the crabs will survive for the duration of the voyage."

"The vessel has an aft work deck. We expanded its area to hold more crab traps while ensuring the ship’s stability. Once crabbing season is over, the equipment can be slightly adjusted to convert it into a fishing trawler."

"The vessel is also built to an Ice Class 2 standard, meaning it can navigate and operate in waters with ice up to 50 centimeters thick."

"As for the living quarters, we took feedback from experienced crewmen to design the most comfortable and practical spaces possible. This includes soundproofed lounges and common areas, a fully-equipped and comfortable galley, as well as bathrooms and even a sauna, ensuring the crew has a good place to rest, eat, and clean up when they’re off duty."

Feng Shan grew more and more pleased as he listened to Eugene’s description.

’A standard 100-ton crabbing boat can earn 1.8 million in two weeks,’ he thought. ’This one has a 600-ton capacity. That means it could earn in the tens of millions!’

’I’m going to make a fortune!’

Alvin, however, frowned more and more as he listened.

’Is it a good boat?’

’Of course it is. There probably isn’t a boat this good in all of Alaska.’

’But a boat like this doesn’t come cheap.’

’That damn fatty didn’t show it at first, not because it was too small, but because the price was too high.’

"How much for the boat?" Feng Shan asked, closing the brochure.

Eugene’s throat was starting to ache. This was the first time he’d ever given such a detailed pitch for this particular vessel.

His higher-ups had issued an order for all salespeople to push this crabbing boat with everything they had. If anyone managed to sell it, the commission would be massive.

But with snow crab quotas and populations steadily declining, a massive vessel like this was nowhere near as profitable as a smaller boat.

"Uh, the price for the whole vessel is... twenty-five million US dollars. We’ll throw in a full set of crab traps and five years of free maintenance."

Twenty-five million dollars!!

’I knew it would be something like that.’

’For that kind of money, wouldn’t it be better to just buy ten 100-foot crabbing boats?’

Alvin wore an I-told-you-so expression, assuming Feng Shan would definitely back out.

Eugene looked at Feng Shan nervously. It was a long shot, but there was still a sliver of hope.

A long moment passed.

Feng Shan pursed his lips. "Is... financing an option?"

WHOA!!

The rest area erupted. At some point, a crowd of fishermen and processing plant workers had gathered behind their chairs.

They had just come over to see what the commotion was about.

But now they’d heard someone was about to spend 25 million US dollars on a crabbing boat.

This was probably the biggest news on Saint Paul Island in decades.

Everyone was stunned!

They all started talking at once, bombarding Feng Shan with advice.

"Buddy, did a crab pinch your brain or something?"

"Spending 25 million on a boat? What are you thinking? There are so many better things you could do with that kind of money."

"That’s right! Trust us, snow crab is valuable, but there’s really no need to buy a boat that big."

"Alvin, you scoundrel! What are you trying to pull?"

"I was about to quit and go find work in the city, and here’s someone spending a fortune on a new crabbing boat. Wouldn’t it be better to just buy a used one?"

Faced with all the advice, Feng Shan simply smiled and nodded, accepting it graciously. After all, their intentions were good.

But Eugene’s heart sank.

’I was so close to closing the deal on this boat, and now this bunch of damn fishermen has to jump in and mess things up,’ he thought. ’If I had an AR-15 right now, I’d light every last one of them up.’

It was time to play the trump card the company had given him.

"Sir, I can swear to God, this is an absolutely fantastic boat. The original price was actually 27 million US dollars, so the company has already given you a discount. If you’re serious about it, I can take off another two million. Twenty-three million, and financing is no problem. How does that sound?"

After he finished, Eugene let out a heavy sigh. That was the biggest discount he could offer.

Whether the man bought it or not was out of his hands. He could only pray God was listening today. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Just then, a hand was extended in front of him. Eugene looked up to see Feng Shan smiling warmly.

"It’s a deal. I think we can move on to the next step and talk about payment."

’That... that’s it? The deal is done?!’

Eugene couldn’t believe his ears. Alvin couldn’t believe his ears. The onlooking fishermen and workers thought they must be mishearing things.

A deal worth over twenty million US dollars, settled just like that while sitting on a pier.

’Are all Northern People this rich nowadays?’

’Dropping tens of millions without even batting an eye.’

"Sir, are... are you serious?" Eugene shot to his feet, his hands trembling slightly with nerves and nowhere to put them.

He tried desperately to compose himself, but he couldn’t get his racing heart to settle down.

Nearby, Alvin’s eyes were wide with utter disbelief.

The sum of tens of millions echoed like a thunderclap in his mind, sending his thoughts into a complete tailspin.

’Here I am, still saving up money with my little fishing boat to buy back the Catherine II, and this guy just casually buys a massive new vessel.’

’How can the gap between people be so vast?!’

’No, wait a second... I’m the captain of the new boat!!’

"Gentlemen, this isn’t the best place for this conversation. How about we move somewhere else?" Feng Shan said with a resigned smile, looking at the crowd of gossips craning their necks to listen in.

"How about my boat?" Alvin suggested. "The weather’s nice today. We could head out and catch some halibut. I make a pretty decent fried fish."

"Why not?" Eugene was desperate to get away. The crowd on the pier was only getting bigger, and if someone else chimed in and scared off his customer, it would be too late for regrets.

The group left the Merchant Fishing Pier and boarded Alvin’s fishing boat, the Petrovna, which slowly set out toward the vast expanse of the Bering Sea.

...